Ordinary antennas operate on the concept of resonance. For these antennas, the size of the antenna is directly related to the wavelength of the electromagnetic wave it detects. The resonance condition limits substantially the frequency range that an antenna can detect; a reduction in antenna size for lower frequencies operation is similarly limited. Small antennas at high frequencies can use semiconductors and superconductors as RF detectors. However, semiconductors and superconductors have an intrinsic limit of operation to high frequencies.
Antennas that incorporate graphene can achieve operation over a wider band of frequency, which the current technology cannot address. This is because a graphene-based detection device (antenna) can be a photon-based system that detects quanta of electromagnetic radiation (as opposed to detection in a classical electromagnetic sense) and can convert the electromagnetic radiation into a proportionate electrical signal. As such, these devices do not operate under the rules of classical electromagnetism (and be sized according to wavelength considerations), but can be constructed to take advantage of the particle nature (quantum nature) of light. Quantum based detection devices allow for antennas that can be extremely small at low frequencies, when considered in comparison with resonance based antennas that are sized based on wavelength to accommodate the low frequency at which the antenna is designed to operate
In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device that can convert quanta of incident electromagnetic radiation into an electrical signal. Another object of the present invention is to provide a device that can use the photon nature of incident electromagnetic radiation to convert the radiation into an electrical signal over a wide frequency range. Still another object of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor having structure that converts electromagnetic radiation quanta into an electrical signal, which results in an antenna that can be sized independently of the design frequency range of that antenna when the semiconductor is used as an antenna. Another object of the present invention is to provide a device that can convert quanta of incident electromagnetic radiation into an electrical signal that can be easily manufactured in a cost-effective manner.